Federal oversight of tour bus industry faulted

The NTSB's analysis of deadly tour bus crashes in multiple states found major problems in the way tour bus companies are regulated.Â (Photo: Thinkstock)

Washington — Federal accident investigators called Thursday for a probe of the government agency charged with ensuring the safety of tour buses, saying its own look into four crashes that killed 25 people raises "serious questions" about how well the agency is doing its job.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration needs to crack down on bad actors in the tour bus industry "before crashes occur, not just after high-visibility events," said Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

NTSB's look at deadly tour bus crashes in California, Oregon, Kentucky and Tennessee over the past year found serious weaknesses in oversight of tour bus companies. The NTSB says that in each case, the motor carrier safety agency identified problems and "red flags," but didn't take action until after the crashes.